Narvaez, D. & Vaydich, J. (2008). "Moral development and behaviour under the spotlight of the neurobiological sciences." Journal of Moral Education, 37(3), 289-313.

Bio

Darcia Narvaez, associate professor of psychology, University of Notre Dame, studies moral cognition, moral development, and moral education. See her research website at http://www.nd.edu/~dnarvaez/. Before earning her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, she was a K-12 teacher of classroom music, a middle-school Spanish teacher, a small-business owner, a church musician, and earned a master of divinity degree. She grew up living partly in Minnesota and partly in several Spanish-speaking countries. She writes poetry on occasion and likes to cook.

Prof. Narvaez has formulated a new approach to character development education (integrating findings from social-moral development, positive psychology, cognitive psychology and expertise) that views character as a set of teachable capacities that can be coached and deliberately practiced as well as taught across the curriculum in standards-driven instruction. The character skills include those of ethical sensitivity, ethical judgment, ethical motivation, and ethical action. The model has been implemented across the state of Minnesota, called “Community Voices and Character Education Project.” Prof. Narvaez reported on it at a White House conference. She appeared on the Department of Education’s television show, “Education News that Parents Can Use,” to discuss character development.

Profile

Dr. Narvaez’ research explores questions of moral cognition and moral development over the lifespan in multiple contexts (e.g., family, school). She examines how early life experience influences moral functioning and moral character in children and adults. She integrates neurobiological, clinical, developmental and education sciences in her theories and research about moral development. Questions that interest her include: How does early experience shape moral capacities? What types of moral orientations can people have? How do moral dispositions develop? What is moral wisdom and how do we cultivate it? How can educators and parents foster optimal development, wellbeing and communal imagination? She has developed several integrative theories: Adaptive Ethical Expertise, Integrative Ethical Education, Triune Ethics Theory. You can download papers at her website (link below). She writes a blog for Psychology Today (link below).

Selected publications:

Narvaez, D. (2014). Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality:Evolution, Culture and Wisdom. New York, NY: W.W. Norton.

Narvaez, D. (2013). The 99 Percent—Development and socialization within an evolutionary context: Growing up to become “A good and useful human being.” In D. Fry (Ed.), War, Peace and Human Nature: The convergence of Evolutionary and Cultural Views (pp. 643-672). New York: Oxford University Press.

Narvaez, D. (2013). The 99 Percent—Development and socialization within an evolutionary context: Growing up to become “A good and useful human being.” In D. Fry (Ed.), War, Peace and Human Nature: The convergence of Evolutionary and Cultural Views (pp. 643-672). New York: Oxford University Press.

Bio

Darcia Narvaez, Professor of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, studies moral cognition, moral development, and moral education. See her research website at http://www.nd.edu/~dnarvaez/. Before earning her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, she was a K-12 teacher of classroom music, a middle-school Spanish teacher, a small-business owner, a church musician, and earned a master of divinity degree. She grew up living partly in Minnesota and partly in several Spanish speaking countries. She writes poetry on occasion and likes to cook.

Dr. Narvaez’s research explores questions of moral cognition and moral development over the lifespan in multiple contexts (e.g., family, school). She examines how early life experience influences moral functioning and moral character in children and adults. She integrates neurobiological, clinical, developmental and education sciences in her theories and research about moral development. She has developed several integrative theories: Adaptive Ethical Expertise, Integrative Ethical Education, Triune Ethics Theory, the Evolved Developmental Niche, and Developmental Ethical Ecological Practice.

Dr. Narvaez's "Moral Landscapes" blog is published by Psychology Today at